


A Love So Vast

by AngieO131



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Married Jeff/Kent, Multi, NHL players, You Can Play, alluded homophobia, morning blowjobs, past zimbits, soft coming out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-02-23 12:08:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13189773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngieO131/pseuds/AngieO131
Summary: Kent deserves happiness, and in this, he gets it. There may be one or two moments that he has problems, but mostly, his life is calm and normal and happy.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, point blank, I want Kent happy, and I will write it myself if I must. I'll have to add tags to this as I go because I have no idea how well I'll stick to plot or if it's going to be a chaptered fic or a series of one shots in one fic.
> 
> Also, literally editing myself because I didn't think to look for an editor first so let me know if you see anything really bad so that I can fix it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes anniversaries are hard when you are alone. Sometimes a letter is all you need to make it okay.

_The thing about life is that it doesn't always go as planned. Things don't line up, kisses don't stay sweet, love doesn't stay golden. Childhood flames die and college wildfires can be tamed. Oceans of doubt and self-hatred can be calmed and streams of happiness can carve a canyon of love. Sometimes, you get your chance and sometimes, you don't. Facts of life, as it were; facts that people often don't like._

_The thing about the universe is the sheer amount of vast space and unexplored territory that there is. On this planet, you watch people live their lives and go about daily activities that for them are normal. Somewhere out in that vast universe, there is a species of being doing the same thing, and we may have similar activities, but maybe they are vastly different. Maybe in some black hole out there or in some galaxy somewhere, you sit at this same location, but your life has gone completely different. Maybe you didn't go first in the draft when you were eighteen; maybe you weren't the first openly gay player. Maybe you didn't have blonde hair and ever-changing eyes; maybe you didn't have a cat named off of you._

_In this universe, you succeeded in all of these things. In this universe, you are Kent Parson, first in the NHL draft to the Las Vegas Aces, first to be openly gay after your third Stanley Cup win when you and your therapist decided that you would get no better if you continued to hide, slave to the Princess Kit Purrson as well as Britney Spears, and smallest player in the league with blonde hair, ever-changing eyes, and eyebrows that just don't quit. The record book is a list of your name, the media has long since stopped caring about who you are fucking, and your teammates have either accepted you or been traded until there were new ones that did. You make the highest gross income of every hockey player, your stats are maybe not always the best but damn near close, and you have a ridiculous affinity for snapbacks that make that cowlick worse._

_In this universe, I love you, and I accept you, in all your imperfections, just as you do for me. You are the love of my life, and I hope to stay the love of your life, whether we extend our family or stay just us. I hope to wake to your face in the morning every day for the rest of forever, even if it means that I have to get out of bed first to start a pot of coffee so that you don't wake up like a crabby bear. I hope to take you to restaurants and insist on paying the check even when you attempt to insist on paying because of your higher contract rate- really, it's cute; you're only faster than me on the ice, baby. I wanna race you during workouts, and I wanna sit with you when you can't form words._

_I've got your back, baby. Always and forever._

_Jeff_


	2. A Tale As Old As Time

The sunlight streaming through the cracked blinds fell on a rumpled bed with an equally rumpled man sleeping in the midst. Leaning against the doorframe as he waited on the coffee pot to give a beep to signal its completion, Jeff smiled a soft grin, his eyes crinkling as he ran his finger over the ring on his left hand. Among the mountain of pillows and crinkled sheets, his husband lay half under the top sheet, a hand resting on his chest, moving with the rise and fall of his deep breaths. Kent's head was turned the side, his forehead pressed against the black and orange ball of fur that slept on the other half of his pillow. Though the sound was near silent, he could hear the slight snore with each intake of breath, Kit's ear twitching minutely in time as she slept through the noise. 

It was moments like this that made Jeff speechless; moments in the morning when the world still rested as he made the preparations for their busy schedule that he felt the heavy pressure under his sternum that made his breath stutter. The road had been long and, at times, tedious. Kent had not been in a great place when they first started dating two years prior to him coming out. He had been hurt, abused in ways that made it hard to get to his center. Jeff had been patient. They had formed a close friendship when they had been drafted together, and over the years, their friendship had only grown more and more. Kent had come out to him slowly, occasionally commenting on celebrities that were LGBTQ+, showing his acceptance, and then commenting on men in general, softly and only in private. Before Kent could ever come out to him, Jeff was almost sure of his sexuality, and the pining for his best friend had only grown. He had planned to come out to him at the same time. 

When the season was over, their second cup secured, Jeff invited Kent to Calgary to stay with his folks as normal. It was there, as they were laying on a blanket under the stars at his family's home, that Kent breached the silence with whispered words and a shaky voice. Jeff let him speak, let him take his time to find his words and get them all out, before he slid his hand over, wrapping his pinky very deliberately around Kent's own as he spoke six simple words, voice strong and full of relief that he didn't know had bloomed. "I was hoping you'd say that." 

Their first night was spent body pressed to body, the chill of the night clinging to their clothes as they clung to each other, speaking of everything and saying what was needed: polyamory, communication, validation, fears, worries and hopes. There had been many firsts for them that night, many firsts that Jeff wasn't sure he would never forget, even now, four years and a wedding later.

Over the summer with Jeff's family chirping them the whole way, they had fallen into place like pieces of a jigsaw, cut to shape perfectly around each other, yet always ready to fit with other pieces. By the time they had come back to Vegas, the decision to move in together just seemed best. Sure they had the means to keep separate places, but after a summer of waking and falling into a routine together, neither wanted to be much further than the other room.

Life had carried on. Jeff and Kent's coming out to the public had been simple and not commented on by either of themselves- just letting themselves be a couple and letting the news pick it up when they eventually did two years later. With their coming out came a discussion about what they wanted to do with their spotlight. They had become a unit of their own in the league, starting a foundation with the support of the Aces to help children with all types of skating- be it hockey or figure skating or just an after school activity. They hired coaches and set up times with their home arena for the Little Aces, worked with sports stores to set up brochure plans and public transport for the children. They had a donation center set up at the arena for You Can Play and worked with companies to make merchandise that was specifically designed to go to the charity. They had set out a path that they had wanted to blaze in the homophobic sport and they were setting it on fire faster than people had expected them to do.

By the time they had reached their two and half year mark, Jeff had looked at a million different rings and had one sitting deep in his pockets at all times. It had been a simple ring: a silver band with a black inlay of onyx stones. The Aces had brought them together, and he had wanted the colours to be a part of the final melding of their lives. Jeff had planned the proposal to a tee, but as with all things, he never made it that far. In fact, it was at work in the gym in the middle of a training sessions that he broke down, his breath coming fast both from the treadmill that he was just running on and the nervous flitting in his body. The tears in Kent's eyes and the searing kiss after his stumbled yes had been worth their fines. 

Giving a gentle, content sigh, Jeff turned at the beep of the coffee pot. He pulled down a can of soft cat food just a Kit jumped onto the counter; their routine in sync just as much as his and Kent's. By the time coffee finished, she was ready to eat and then go lay in the sun by the balcony doors. He wasn't quite sure if it was a learned lesson after the few times that they had kicked her out of the bedroom for activities that were not for kitty eyes or if she just preferred her peace while they woke.

He pulled down their mugs, stirring in sugar and milk before capping them and going back into the bedroom, setting Kent's on his bedside table and taking a sip of his own before setting it on his side and sliding gently back into bed. He slowly pulled Kent to himself, Kent's body rolling easily until he was laying pressed to Jeff, Kent's head tucked beneath his chin as he softly rubbed circles into his back. 

~~

The warmth is what first filtered into his mind: the warmth of the sun on his bare skin, the warmth of a hand rubbing his back, the warmth of the body pressed skin to skin along his own. Giving a soft mumble, he slid his hand from the pec it was laying on, up to Jeff's shoulder, tilting his head to softly kiss the underside of his chin. "M'rnin."

Feeling the rumble beneath his chest and lips rather than hearing the chuckle, Kent settled back into his husband's arms that now wove around him in an embrace rather than holding him up to his body. Gently, he took inventory of his body, twisting his hips slightly from side to side as he did so to his shoulders, cracking his spine. He was still sore from the previous night, but as lips slid across his brow, he smiled. Being alone on anniversaries could be okay if he got to have night's like that each time to make up for it. 

The lips on his brow moved to his nose and then his cheeks and finally his lips. The kiss was soft, morning breath causing Jeff to reach for his mug and bring it to him to take a gentle drink or two before being placed back on the table. A frown puckered his lips as he reached for the mug, still having yet to open his eyes, but his attempts at more coffee were quickly cut off as Jeff's lips found his own again, lips pushing and pulling with a gentle pressure before Kent opened to him, seeking that hazy bliss of the love that curled within his chest. 

His arms wrapped around Jeff's shoulders as he was rolled to his back, Jeff covering half of his body with his own as he pressed a hand to his cheek, kissing him slowly and thoroughly as he floated between being asleep and awake. The hands that slid down his body gently felt hot and solid, searing a path in their wake as he mewled softly. Jeff nipped his bottom lip gently just as his hand made its way to his ass, gripping gently before slowly sliding further until his finger caressed his sore hole. Jeff pulled from their kiss despite his whimper, kissing his nose. "Sore, baby?"

Nodding softly, Kent finally slit his eyes open to catch his husband's tend gaze, his fingers cradling the sides of his neck and tangling in the short hair there. He pulled him down for more kisses, knowing that Jeff knew his body limits just as well as himself. A gentle sigh pulled him from the kiss as Jeff's hand slid back around from his ass to his hip and then further to his morning wood. His hands stayed in Jeff's hair as he kissed his neck and then his collarbone, trailing down Kent's body in a path that was burned into his skin. As his lips wrapped gently around his head, Jeff's hand taking hold of the base, Kent's hands carded through his hair, gently gripping the hair as a soft gasp fell from his lips. 

The haze of waking mixed with the haze of pleasure, the warmth from the sun warming him further as he lay beneath his husband in content surrender to his ministrations. It wasn't long before Kent's grip tightened, his gentle, pleased groans turning into an escalating tirade of moans before he was cumming, his back arched and his head tilted back into the sun's glare. He slid back into a limp position against the mattress as Jeff pulled his lips from his cock and slid up to lay beside him after taking off a condom and tying it before throwing it into the trash beside their bed.

Turning his head to look up into his face, he pouted, refusing to let the thumb tracing his bottom lip to coax out a smile. "That was my job, ya know."

Jeff just chuckled, kissing his gently. "You took care of me quite a bit last night, baby. It was my turn this morning."

Arching a brow thoughtfully, Kent thought over the previous night. "I seem to remember not being able to form words a lot last night. Are you sure about that?"

Jeff grinned, nipping at his lip. "Oh, it was amazing how well you took me."

Kent sighed, willing his thrumming body to roll so that he could press to him. "I married a perv. For that I get at least ten more minutes of sleep before you can make me get out of bed."

Jeff grinned, kissing his forehead as Kent drifted softly back into the haze. "How about we do one better and go with thirty? Then, it's to the arena for morning skate."


	3. A Whole New World

For Eric Bittle, Samwell had been heaven. Being a gay boy that loved to bake and do figure skating in the South had been literal hell, but hockey and the entire, accepting population of Samwell had allowed Eric to turn into Bitty, a boy who wasn't afraid to be who he was. The friends- nay the brothers and sister- that he had acquired gave him the strength to be who he wanted to be and not who everyone else wanted him to be. 

His senior year had been the best year yet. He had become captain and through diligence and hard work, they had risen to heights that they had yet to reach in his years there, winning the Frozen Four. Many had speculated on whether or not Eric would be scouted, his status as the first openly gay collegiate captain being under heavy question, but to the surprise of many and knowing of those close, he had more offers on the table than even Jack had had by the end of his senior year, but Bitty had graciously turned them all down, knowing that even with how far he had come, he didn't want to keep pushing himself to take hits. 

Jack hadn't exactly been on board with that. He sang a pretty tune for Bitty to follow whatever he wanted, but there was a noticeable distance between them afterwards. All the years of build up had created a wildfire, but wildfires were destined to die out, and so the story went. It hadn't entirely been because of Bitty's decision, little things piling up here and there, but it had been the final straw to show them both that it just wasn't working. To say that he was hurt would have been a slight overstatement. Bitty had loved Jack, but he could see now that there were things he wanted that Jack wouldn't have been able to give. The break up had been mutual, and their relationship had faded to the background before senior year had finished.

Bitty being Bitty meant that mere weeks before graduation, he began looking into what to do with his life. While he was still with Jack, the plan had been to move in, but with that no longer being the plan, he wasn't entirely sure what to do. He knew he didn't want to move back to Georgia; he refused to go back there, but the lingering question of 'What now?' was growing ever more suffocating.

With all the classes that he had taken in social media and communication, Bitty had ended up majoring in American studies with a minor in communications and networking. While he could only think of one thing that he wished to do, he knew owning a bakery wasn't exactly an ideal plan without a job to pay for it first. There were still offers coming in from some teams to join their farm teams, but Bitty kept turning them down despite his longing glances at the salaries, letting them know that he was hanging up his skates and going for a communications job instead. He hadn't been prepared for the Aces to offer a job in that department afterwards. 

It had been an interesting pitch, to say the least. They had been very forthcoming over their intentions, mentioning clearly that they wished to hire him to help assist their PR team, with a specialty in all things LGBT+. Apparently, none of the staff that they currently had was very good with handling it due to lack of personal expertise- something Bitty thought sounded like a nice way of saying they needed a gay guy to help make sure it was gay-friendly. The salary had been nothing to laugh at, though, and there was even a part in the contract to pay for moving expenses and the settling fees for an apartment or home if he would sign a 5-year contract with them.

It was a smart move on the Aces behalf; he could recognize that. They had quickly became the leading team in all things LGBT+ once Parson and Troy had come out and gotten married. They were pioneering the whole way through, and the Aces had gladly taken up the handle of the most LGBT+ friendly team. If they could get Eric in their staff as well after his turning down all the other teams, it could be a big thing for them; he wasn't cocky- he just understood what that would look like. Bitty hadn't been easily persuaded, but after a few weeks, he had agreed, and only two weeks after graduation, he was driving from Georgia to Vegas in a U-Haul.

Life moved fast that summer, meeting happening nearly every day as he gathered all the information about their current and past proceedings with the organizations and clubs. With Parson and Troy being gone for the summer to see Jeff's family in Calgary, Bitty had taken up the extra coaching spot in the Little Aces club, fully immersing himself in the work as he tried to familiarize himself with his new job and location.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for such a short chapter; I honestly rewrote this probably a thousand times trying to find a way to get Bitty across the country, and even though I'm not entirely happy with it, this is the best so far. I'll just keep rewriting it otherwise, and I really wanna get to the better parts of the story.

**Author's Note:**

> The original comic is by Ngozi found at [Check Please](http://checkpleasecomic.com/comic/01-01-01) .
> 
> This is dedicated to [@kvparson90](http://www.kvparson90.tumblr.com) on tumblr. Look them up; they are literally a ray of sunshine.
> 
> my main [@UtopianTravesty](http://www.utopiantravesty.tumblr.com) or on my writing blog [@angie-writes](http://www.angie-writes.tumblr.com)


End file.
